50 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2017

A beautiful musical union of Deftones and TesseracT, RIVIẼRE are a burgeoning name in the progressive metal scene currently ruling the underground of urban France. Alongside such names as Uneven Structure, Pin-Up Went Down and the shining gods that are my favourite band Gojira, this ambient quartet are turning a lot of worldwide rock fans’ eyes towards their home country, thanks to their debut Heal dropping all the way back in January.

Hitting shelves only twenty days into the New Year, Heal was one of 2017’s first candidates for prog album of the year, and has survived great competition over the course of the past twelve months.

Despite its heavy pedigree, this album is one that does its damnedest to transcend the clichés and elitism associated with extreme music. Its penchant for ambience, its artwork and the way the Toulouse-based band present themselves are undoubtedly far more serene and accessible than a great many of their contemporaries, giving them a kinship with such cult-adored titans as Deafheaven and Holding Absence.

But behind this veneer is some truly badass heaviness, as displayed on the powerhouse riffs that bring “Golden Wounds” and “Binary Love” to life, adding a powerful edge to the heavenly vocals and unforeseeable rhythms of frontman Arnaud Laffont.

Heal is undoubtedly a masterclass of a debut album for RIVIẼRE, which will hopefully be topped in the near-future by an equally experimental and avant-garde follow-up.

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